Betty G.

When I first received my diagnosis, my mind was reeling. How could this be? What was I going to do? How will I continue to work my home-based business? How will I take care of my 87 year-old mom? But then I remembered my husband’s advice when he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He said, “We are going to play out the hand that’s been dealt.” And he was right – you cannot control the diagnosis, but you can control your attitude.

From that moment on, it never occurred to me that I could not beat this hiccup. I had DCIS (ductile carcinoma in situ), which is noninvasive, and the tumor was small. After several discussions with the doctors, I opted to have the lumpectomy followed by five days of radiation. This would fit my busy schedule perfectly, rather than the usual six weeks therapy. With my game plan in place, I could move forward.

Unfortunately, the first catheter they inserted, which was a balloon catheter, had to be removed. It turned out my skin was too thin to safely receive radiation with the balloon. I was devastated. I thought I had to come up with a whole new game plan to deal with six weeks of radiation, which I still did not want. But luckily I was a candidate for SAVI – it was perfect for my health and my schedule. The SAVI applicator quite literally became my bosom buddy.

As a working professional, flexibility and convenience is paramount in my world. SAVI was the right choice for me because I could function as a daughter, caregiver, business owner, author and friend. It was easy to schedule the two treatments a day for five days. I could go to radiation therapy in the mornings and late afternoons, manage my business, meet clients and take care of my mom.

By the end of the week, all my treatments were completed and I felt compelled to celebrate because things were almost back to normal! SAVI worked perfectly for me, and I highly recommend this procedure for the woman “on the go.”